Much obliged

This book is called Much Obliged for two reasons. The first is that it is what Stephen's dad says when he has been served in shops. The second is because Stephen has noticed that he only does things to stop himself letting people down. Joe Brainard's I Remember is the inspiration for Stephen Sutcliffe's similarly constructed assemblage of loosely connected reminiscences, each containing a reference to 'Stephen'. John Ashbery described Brainard's writing as 'humane smut', and, drawing on the comedy of childhood, experience of work, and school friends, as well as family snapshots and Stephen's own collages, Much Obliged finds a similar tone, firmly rooted in class, the challenge to authority, self-doubt and self-deprecation.--Book Works website.